The Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana (HISPAG) has made a proposal to government to consider other revenue sources for funding the National Health Insurance Scheme(NHIS) project.
The association fears the project risks collapsing if government does not provide alternative revenue sources to augment the current sources.
It has thus proposed that government allocates one percent of the petroleum levy to sustain the scheme because it considers the current funds inadequate.
“The current funding sources for the National Health Insurance Scheme cannot support the existing claims presented by the providers because on the average a beneficiary pays GHc 30 whilst the scheme pays an average of GHc 75 to providers.
“This has created financial gap of not less than 450 million cedis for an average utilization of 10 million insured clients of the scheme”, Executive Director of the association, Frank Torblu, told press men in Kumasi, Tuesday, May 22.
He described as worrying the decision of government not to review their service charges for the past 3 years which according to him has been a burden to service providers.
“The period for the review of tariff had not been adhered to by the scheme making prices at which services are provided outdated. The providers are making losses to the extent that some cannot even buy essential drugs anymore, pay utilities timely, and other administrative expenses”.
Mr Torblu also complained about the strategy adopted in payment of claims to service providers, describing it as being political.
“The NHIS has not been forthright in payment of claims to providers. Today some regions are paid ahead of others and even in the regions, there is what we can refer to as preferential treatment in payment of claims.
“The leadership of HISPAG wishes to inform the management of the NHIS that the strategy they have adopted to pay providers is completely unacceptable and can backfire.
“There should be a total removal of political coloring and inclination of the scheme to make way for the technocrats to take the appropriate decisions to the benefits of the entire nation”, he said.
He has however entreated all service providers to endeavor to present credible claims at all times to the National Health Insurance Authority.
By Ibrahim Abubakar|3news.com|Ghana
